Quoting
- When should quotations be used?
- Integrating quotations with your writing
- Formatting and changing quotations
A quotation is an exact copy of the words that someone else has written or said. These words are placed within quotation marks (also known as speech marks: “ ”) to indicate that it is a direct quotation and not a summary or paraphrase.
How quotes are formatted is different for different referencing styles and unless indicated otherwise, the quotes on this page are formatted in APA Style (7th edition) referencing.
A quotation can be a full sentence from another source, part of a sentence, or several sentences:
When gathering demographic data it is important to remember that “only relevant types of demographic information should be requested” (Lazar, 2006, p. 52).
Quotations must always be cited, depending on the referencing system that you are using: see quotations in APA and quotations in MLA for examples. In most referencing styles, quotation citations must always include the page number where the quotation was located.
When should quotations be used?
Quotations should be used rarely, and selectively. While quotations indicate to the marker that you have read the literature and have identified points of interest, quotations can distract from your own writing.
You are far better off to demonstrate to the marker, in the word length available, your understanding of the author's words, rather than relying on the words of others. A quotation does not automatically demonstrate that you fully understand what you are quoting. It only shows that you can find a relevant quotation, and that you can copy and paste.
In contrast, summarising and paraphrasing show that you understand the source (because it is impossible to paraphrase without understanding) and enable you to retain a consistent style of writing throughout your assignment. This is important, for example, in ensuring that an essay flows.
Nevertheless, sometimes quotations will be the best option:
- Does the quotation express an important idea in a way that you could not write more simply in your own words?
- Does the quotation express an important idea in an authoritative way, that you could not write more dramatically or powerfully?
- Is the exact wording necessary for a particular purpose, e.g. definitions, literary analysis, or legislation and legal documents?
As a rule of thumb, four quotations are a fair number for an average 2000 word assignment. This allows enough space for your understanding to shine through beyond the words of others.
Integrating quotations with your writing
Any quotation needs to be integrated into your text. It should never stand alone.
You need to show that the quotation relates to the assignment topic. This will often involve deciding whether the quotation supports the points you want to make in some way, supports with some qualification, or disagrees with whatever points you are making in your assignment.
Irrespective of the direction, you need to introduce and comment on the quotation by linking it back immediately to the assignment or paragraph topic. The following examples demonstrate how quotations that support a particular point of view can be integrated into an assignment.
The essay question is “discuss whether social psychology is a science or an art.”
Here is an example of a quotation formatted according to APA Style (7th edition):
“Social psychologists study behavior because it is behavior that can be observed” (Vaughan & Hogg, 1995, p. 2).
In the essay, the quotation is integrated as follows:
One of the central characteristics of science is its method of demonstrating knowledge through clearly observable events. According to Vaughan and Hogg (1995), “social psychologists study behavior because it is behavior that can be observed” (p. 2). This gives strength to the claim that psychology is a science rather than an art because the scientific method constructs knowledge from observable data.
The first sentence (the topic sentence) introduces the topic of observable events, which provides a lead into the quotation.
The final sentence links the quotation back to the essay topic by including it within the essay context of psychology being a science rather than an art.
The essay question is “businesses should embrace the information age. Discuss.”
Here is an example of a quotation formatted according to APA Style (7th edition):
“Such … change cannot help but have a fundamental, permanent effect upon the world's industries and the people who work in them” (Davidow & Malone, 1992, p. 2).
In the essay, the quotation is integrated as follows:
The information age is a significant technological force, and “such … change cannot help but have a fundamental, permanent effect upon the world's industries and the people who work in them” (Davidow & Malone, 1992, p. 2). This suggests that if businesses fail to recognise the impact of this technological change, they may be left behind. Consequently, this gives credence to the view that businesses should embrace the information age.
The first sentence (the topic sentence) provides a general statement about the issue, which functions to help clarify the change referred to in the upcoming quotation.
The final two sentences link the quotation back to the essay topic. The first sentence connects the quotation to the focus of businesses being left behind if they do not change. The second sentence takes this idea further and explicitly links it back to the essay topic with respect to the need for businesses to embrace the information age.
In both examples the quotation is made part of a sentence that you have written yourself. This is an effective way of ensuring that it fits your own writing. The most common method of doing this is to use phrases like “according to” or “states that”:
According to Vaughan and Hogg (1995), “social psychologists …” (p. 2).
Vaughan and Hogg (1995) state that “social psychologists …” (p. 2).
Because it can be repetitive to always use “states that”, the following words can be an effective substitute:
agrees
asserts
believes
claims
comments
concedes that
challenges
concludes
compares
defines
describes
examines
explains
explores
focuses on
goes further
holds that
insists
identifies
is clear that
maintains
notes
observes
points out
points to
prefers
refers to
responds
reports
says
shows
states
suggests
summarises
touches on
writes that
In some circumstances, you may use a quotation to highlight areas of contention or debate.
When you bring in opposing points of view and then contest or refute them, this can make your writing more convincing and stronger to the reader. This is because not only have you provided supportive evidence, but you have also brought in contrary views and then argued against them by bringing in better and stronger evidence. Ultimately, this shows you have read widely, and, more importantly, you have been able to integrate diverging points of view into your assignment.
You may not agree with the quotation, but you can still use it to open up debate:
Here is an example of a quotation formatted according to APA Style (7th edition):
In contrast to demonstrating the advances in employment relations, “Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) in New Zealand is at a crossroads” (Sayers & Tremaine, 1994, p. 11).
Snook’s (1996) contention, that “bulk funding, management models of school governance and the promotion of so-called ‘choice’ will do more to destroy decent education than any defective curricula” (p. 55), is open to debate.
Formatting and changing quotations
With only a few exceptions, quotations should be written word for word, exactly as they are written in the original source. This includes punctuation, wording, spelling, and American or British spelling.
The exceptions to this rule depend on the referencing style used, but commonly include the following:
Punctuation. If the in-text citation in brackets follows the quotation, the full stop should come after the closing bracket instead of at the end of the quotation:
When gathering demographic data it is important to remember that “only relevant types of demographic information should be requested” (Lazar, 2006, p. 52).
First letter. When a quotation is part of a larger sentence (see the examples in Integrating Quotations above) the first letter of the quotation can be changed from upper-case to lower-case or vice versa. APA allows for this kind of change, but MLA retains the original capitalisation.
Quotation marks. If the quotation contains quotation marks (“ ”) inside it, they can be changed to single quotation marks (‘ ’) to avoid confusion.
Mistakes. If there is a spelling or grammar error in the original, do not correct it but insert “[sic]” after the mistake.
Removed words. If you have removed words to make the quotation fit better in the document, indicate the remove with an ellipsis (…). Note: you do not need to include an ellipsis at the beginning or end of a quotation unless not doing so would confuse the meaning of the quotation.
The information age is a significant technological force, and “such … change cannot help but have a fundamental, permanent effect upon the world's industries and the people who work in them” (Davidow & Malone, 1992, p. 2).
Added words. If you have added words to make the quotation fit better in the document, put them in square brackets [ ].
Formatting. If you have changed the formatting (e.g. putting a section in italics) note the change in square brackets:
The information age is a significant technological force, and “such … change cannot help but have a fundamental, permanent [italics added] effect upon the world's industries and the people who work in them” (Davidow & Malone, 1992, p. 2).
References and further reading
The example quotations on this page are taken from the following books:
Davidow, W. H., & Malone, M. S. (1992). The virtual corporation: Structuring and revitalizing the corporation for the 21st century. Harper Collins.
Lazar, J. (2006). Web usability: A user-centered design approach. Pearson Addison Wesley.
Sayers, J., & Tremaine, M. (1994). The vision and the reality: Equal employment opportunities in the New Zealand workplace. Dunmore Press.
Vaughan, G., & Hogg, M. (1995). Introduction to social psychology. Prentice Hall.